Page 119 of Bite Me Alpha Cole

Rose nods to him and then looks over at me, smug.

“That’s all for now, Ms. Lind. You’re dismissed.”

I have a chance to raise an eyebrow at Rose, smug in turn, before she snaps her face back to the screen. “What?”

The King lifts his eyes to look at her evenly. “What part of that was confusing, my dear?”

She sputters a little, looking over at me, the source of her displeasure quite apparent. But when nobody says anything or invites her to stay in the tent, she scowls and leaves, smacking the tent flap out of her way in frustration as she goes.

“Is there anything else?” Ethan Kincaid asks, looking around at us, far more composed than me.

“Yes,” dad snaps. I turn my eyes back to him – again surprised. “Your Highness, every single patient we saw last night was military.”

I watch, fascinated, as Stanzor turns to frown at my father. “Why is that a surprise?”

“Because it was a serious military engagement withciviliansinvolved,” dad says, turning his glare on Stanzor now. “And yet we didn’t see one civilian patient? What’s happening – what aren’t you telling me?”

“We’re not keeping anyone from you, General Amir,” the King replies, slowly shaking his head. “There would be no reason for that. If you’re not seeing anyone but military, it’s because there’s no one else to see.”

“That’s impossible,” dad snaps. But his focus has shifted to the ground, a hand running through his salt-and-pepper hair,clearly more confused and frustrated than suspicious. I bite my lip, my hand turning over my wooden wolf anxiously in my pocket. Dad is so rarely unsettled like this, it always makes me nervous.

“The mission is ongoing,” Ethan says, looking tired. I study him, wondering if he also missed a great deal of sleep, managing this from afar. “The largest batches of patients came through last night because that’s when the majority of the actual fighting happened, but we’ve got the cave system surrounded. Slaken is inside; once our troops are able to capture him, I’m sure whoever iswithinthe caves who needs help will be sent to you.”

Dad sighs, shaking his head, still frustrated.

But I turn to Cole, confused about why he’s unsettled.

And then I frown, staring up at him, wondering how…

How the fuck Iknewthat he was unsettled.I mean, he definitely is – he’s wearing that studious frown that he only gets when he’s thinking through something. And unlike other people whose eyes go unfocused when they’re thinking hard, his are staring directly at the screen, which means he’s putting something together.

I frown too, turning back to the computer, realizing that I must have picked up the nuances of his expression in the tiny box in the corner that shows our image. Yes, that makes sense. Even if it is…tiny. And grainy.

“Dad,” Cole says, his voice tense and thoughtful. “Have you inspected –“

But pounding footsteps outside of the tent interrupt, and we all spin towards the entrance as it flies open.

“Sir!” a panting private says, holding out a phone to Stanzor. “It’s urgent!”

I glance back at the screen to see the King picking up phones as well, realizing that they’re all getting the same call. My heartstarts to pound as I realize that something is happeningright now.

“Come on, Nadia,” dad says, stepping to my side and putting a hand on my lower back, applying some gentle pressure. “Let us work – you have your own job to do.”

“But,” I sputter, wanting to know. My eyes lock on Cole, who looks quite grim. “I –“

“Your boy will fill you in,” dad murmurs, urging me toward the entrance. “You won’t be any help in all this military chaos, my dear – and that’s not me being cruel, it’s just the truth. It’s not your field. Come on.”

Cole glances over at me, giving me a steady nod, letting me know that he agrees with my dad’s assessment and that he will indeed fill me in.

I sigh, giving in to both of them and turning towards the flap. Dad and I step outside, and he wraps his arm around my shoulders, giving me a squeeze. “Go on, daughter. You need a bath, some food, and some work to set you straight.”

“In that order?” I grumble, looking up at him.

He smirks at me as we start to cross the camp. “Not necessarily. But shower first. You smell…wolfy.”

I huff a laugh, shaking my head and resisting the urge to cover my face in embarrassment.

“Don’t worry, girl,” dad says, giving me a final squeeze before dropping his arms and walking steadily at my side on the way to the nurse’s tent. “They’ll sort it out, and beat each other up, and you’ll patch them up on the other end.”

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